Agricultural machine



I Sept. 22, 1931. F. PATZSCHKE 1,824,093

AGRICULTURAL MACHINE v Filed June 17, 1929 MVEIYTOR 1 Patented Sept. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES FRITZ PATZSCHKE, OF LEIPZIG, GERMANY 7 AGRICULTURAL Application filed June 17, 1929, Serial No.

In agriculture, it is a well known fact that a good deal of young sugar-beet plants have to be again removed from the soil for the purpose of obtaining a better and stronger growth of the remaining plants. It is a known fact too that the removal of the beet plants in question constitutes for the farmer a hard and an intense work taking up much time. The present invention which obviates 1 this drawback, relates to improvements in agricultural machines and more particularly to a machine for cutting ofi' young beet plants; and it consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as

will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed outin the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the views shown. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, and

Figure 3 is a front view thereof with partly a cross-section.

The machine is coupled in the usual manner to a two-wheeled fore-carriage and consists of a frame-structure 1 provided with two pivot-castings 2 for the trailing axle 3 with the running wheels 4. The axle 6 of the fore-carriage, carrying the wheels 5, is supported by a shackle 8 which is made movable about a crank pin 9 of the frame 1. The said shackle 8 and the said frame 1 are each provided with ring-shaped gliding surfaces 10 arranged one above the other and assuring a good movableness to the fore-carriage. On the crank pin 9 is mounted a steering lever 11. the free extremity of which reaches across the whole length of the machine and which may be operated by the attendant.

Keyed to the rear axle 3 is a driving spur bevel wheel 12 meshing with a driven spur bevel wheel 13, the axle 14 of which is supported by two bearings 15 of the cross-bars 17. Furthermore, the said axle 14 carries a spur wheel 19 in engagement with a spur wheel 20 of smaller size mounted on the shaft 21 which carries the cutting knives 25. The said shaft 21 is journaled in bearings 22, 23

$1,534, an m Germany'iune 19, 1928.

rrronneetled to cross-bars 18 and 'tothe machine frame "respectively. In theexample shown, there are provided three shafts 21 which are arranged at a certain distance from one another, and this distance has of course to correspond to the distance of the piant rows from one another, so that each shaft 21 when in operative position, is being exactly placed above one plant row.

To each of the said shafts 21 is secured a sup rt 24jin the shape of a disc, carrying cutting knives 25 which are connected to the said support 24 in a removable and interchangeable manner, The said cutting knives are preferably made in the shape of a U, and each; knife is provided with a shank adapted to be introduced into a radially arranged hole/ of the support 24 in which it may be fastened by means of a screw 26. The cutting edge of the knives may eventually be disposed in oblique direction with relation to the shaft 21 so as to obtain gradually an intense working of the knives and a more regular'working ofthe machine. The said knives are arranged in such manner as to enable them to netrate with their edge into the soil there y'cutting oil. the beet plants unto a certain depth.

All the knife shafts 21 are being rotated in one and the same direction by means of spur wheels 16 keyed to each axle 14 and meshing with loosely mounted wheels 16a so that, owingto the rotation of the first axle 14, all the axles 11 will be rotated at the same time. when the machine is in operative position, themtation of the rear running wheels is transmitted in an appropriate manner-to the cutting knives. The breadth of the knife blades-is'so proportioned that they cut off beets out of the plant rows in a reach of about six inches, whereas about one inch will remain undamaged. Owing to the intervals of the beet plants being variable, a uniform rotation of the knives seems not to be an advantageous one, and therefore the hereinafter described arrangement is being provided causing the knives to come a standstill from time to time. For this purpose, the driving spur bevel wheel has a certain number of its teeth out off, and as the thus obtained 2? ing wheel 12 Inay,'for instancebe obtained spaces on the toothed periphery correspond in their intervals with the number of the knives for each knife support, the meshing of the driven spur wheel 13 will be temporarily interrupted. The toothed periphery of the spur wheels 20 may likewise be provided with free spaces seats to enable a suitable disp m n oi h d n t oth d 15111261519 with respect to one another and to cause the knives of the different knife supportsto:

insuccession. a o c- The driving spur wheel 12 is provided with a fiat key and is therefore adapted to be "l displaced in axial direction so as to ,be brought in engagement or out of engagement with thespur wheel 13. This OfifpOSl? tion is of great advantage for the-machine while it is travelling tothe field and-is on the I field paths. The displacement of the 'd'r'ivby the pin 28, securedto the double-armed lever 27f and entering a. groove 29 provided in the wheelboss. The said hand lever 27 r can be fixed in taining device.

7 The cutting position-by means of any rerear axle 3. I

What I claim as new, is: r I

In an agriculturalmachine ofthecharacter described, in combination -with a*-'wheeled frame-structure, a rear shaft, and a driving spur bevel wheel, the arrangement of a-secf a 0nd shaft, a third shaft,.driven-spi1rbevel I wheels, a disc-shaped support mounted on and rotating 'with the said third shaft, cutting blades mounted'removably and. interchangeably on said support. loosely mounted I I wheel's'in mesh with said driven spur-bevel 1 wheels and causing them to rotatein one and the same direction, the said driving spur bevel-wheel havinga certain number of its l teeth out off so as to obtain a temporarily interrupted mesh with the driven spur bevel wheel, a fiat key in connection with the drivbrought in engagement or out of engagement V with the-driven spur bevel wheel, a double armed lever, a pin securedfitheretoand in tended to enter-a groove' provided in the position knives may bearran ged at the i left hand side or at the right hand side of the 

